You are here

Science & Innovation

You voted, now check out the top startups from the America's Next Top Energy Innovator Challenge.

Nenad Markovic led research at Argonne that recently showed a cheaper, cleaner way to produce pure hydrogen, one that begins with a breakup.

Researchers at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) are studying a tumor-suppressor protein called p53 to further the Office of Science’s long-standing mission to understand how radioactive materials affect the human genome.

Technology Review, a magazine published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, annually recognizes the world’s top innovators under the age of 35. This year’s list, which was released earlier this fall, includes two ARPA-E performers, both of whom are developing ways to transform ideas into reality in the world of clean energy.

It often feels like computers have minds of their own -- particularly if you’ve ever downloaded a virus. But even with a virus, the computer is just following commands and not marching to its own beat. But what if computers could actually perform tasks on their own?

Energy Today

PNNL Breakthrough Leads to Less Foreign Oil, More American Jobs
A highly efficient catalyst to convert renewable crops into the product propylene glycol was discovered by scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and commercialized by the Archer Daniels Midland Company. | Image courtesy of PNNL.

A highly efficient catalyst to convert renewable crops into the product propylene glycol was discovered by scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and commercialized by the Archer Daniels Midland Company.

RFID Technology Creating Jobs, Impacting Americans With Increasing Frequency
RFID technology is a prime example of how targeted Research & Development can enable the development of a core technology – making information mobile – that has commercial potential as far as the imagination can take you.

From scanning a metro card on a daily commute, to locating a lost pet that’s gone missing, RFID tags touch most Americans’ lives frequently throughout a given day. Learn more about how the National Labs enabled the development of this technology –- an industry that is projected to grow to $27 billion by 2015 and has commercial potential as far as the imagination can take you.

Energy Tomorrow

Proteins' Amazing Origami Powers: Insight for Potential Disease Treatments
This is a visualization of drug molecules ("parade day-like balloons") in a simulated attack of the ribbon-like protein fibrils that are believed to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. <a href="http://energy.gov/photos/supercomputers-pictorial-superpowers">Click here to see more amazing supercomputer simulations</a>. | Image courtesy of ORNL.

Better knowledge of protein folding could in turn provide more insight into the diseases associated with malformed proteins, such as Alzheimer's and Cystic Fibrosis, and potential fixes for those malformations. That in turn could lead to new possibilities for new treatments.

Tapping Our Commercial Potential: Work with the National Labs
Science & Innovation

In 2010 alone, the Energy Department’s 17 National Laboratories and 5 facilities executed more than 13,500 technology transfer transactions. Learn more about the ways we are tapping the potential of the Energy Department's scientific discoveries.